


Lavender

by starprise_entership



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Multi, episode tag: ‘far beyond the stars’, lavender marriage, yep everyone’s queer in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 15:26:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14523600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starprise_entership/pseuds/starprise_entership
Summary: Julius and Kay Eaton discuss their lives, and their marriage of convenience.





	Lavender

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a tumblr prompt by Bluemeany and NoOneKnowsIWriteThis.
> 
> The title comes from the term _lavender marriage_ , which refers to a marriage that is formed between a man and a woman with the purpose of concealing the fact that one or both of the parties are not primarily heterosexual.

“You’re absolutely sure your husband isn’t coming home any time soon?” Darlene asks, her bright blue eyes darting back and forth.

Kay shrugs, sheepishly. “He’s out at the pub again, I suppose. I’ve spotted a pattern. Whenever he stays at the office later than I do, there’s a six out of ten chance he doesn’t even return for the night!”

Darlene swirls the wine in her glass, the crimson beverage whirling and sloshing. “You’re not worried about him going home with a new woman every night?”

Kay takes a sip of her wine, and feels the bitter sting of alcohol at the back of her throat. “Well, I mean, what we’re doing, that’s not much better, is it?”

“Yeah, I guess,” says Darlene, her features accentuated in the pale moonlight. “But you’re telling me that you’re just trying things out for now.”

Kay moves closer and rests a hand on Darlene’s arm. “I’m attracted to you, and I’m interested in seeing how it turns out, that’s all.”

“And would he mind?”

“I’m not him, so I wouldn’t know.” Kay answers, licking her lips. “Now, are you going to kiss me or what?”

“You’re terribly impatient, don’t you know that, Kay?” Darlene pokes, lightly teasing. Putting down her wine glass, Darlene eagerly leans in, and Kay’s lips meet hers in a gentle, soaring sweep that almost makes a gasp escape Kay’s lips. _Damn what society thinks,_ grumbles Kay internally, as Darlene gently lowers her onto the arm of the sofa and then moves on top of her, the hem of her skirt slightly swaying. Playfully courageous, Darlene runs her hands up and down Kay’s sides and _it’s such a marvellous feeling_ , remarks Kay, pressing into her touch. _It’s been too long. Too long since I’ve had this kind of physical rush. Oh, thank you, Darlene – you’re the second person I ever fell for, and for that I have to thank you._ Kay finds herself reaching up to grasp against Darlene’s hips– and Darlene responds with a muffled giggle when Kay pokes her in the side. _Oh, so you’re ticklish. I’m going to have to make the best out of that, Darlene –_

The key in the lock suddenly feels a thousand times louder when it turns.

“Kay? Darlene?”

Kay pushes Darlene off her with a horrified shout. “Oh, Jules! I’m so, so, sorry,” she stammers, addressing the silhouette at the door, his tall figure shadowy against the bright light of the corridor outside. She turns back, and gives an apologetic look as she addresses Darlene. “I know it’s inconvenient, but I think it’d be best that you leave now.”

“Oh, yes, that’s a great idea,” says Darlene, her cheeks as red as Kay’s. She grabs her handbag, and makes a hasty exit. “I’ll see you both at work tomorrow, then.”

If this was a normal, uninterrupted date, Darlene would blow her a kiss on the way out.

Kay sighs, and puts her hands on her hips as she strides towards the door and flicks on the lights. “I thought you’d be with _him_ tonight.”

“I did meet Elliot at the pub, yes.” Julius says, stepping over the threshold. “I was going to spend the night at his place when he hinted that people might be…suspicious if we left together so often.”

“Oh.” Kay runs a hand though her short, red hair. “You must be feeling terrible. Being let down by two people on the same night.”

“How long have you been seeing her?”

“Three weeks.” Kay replies, her tone pleading. “Julius, I swear, Darlene’s just an experiment and I–“

“I wouldn’t even be mad at you even if Darlene turned out to be _more_ than an experiment.” Julius remarks, crossing his arms. “I mean, with me not exactly being the most _dutiful_ or the most _conventional_ husband…”

“You sure took a huge risk when you told me about your secret.” Kay recalls. “And then you turned up my doorstep two months later asking for my hand in marriage.”

“A marriage out of convenience, that is.” Julius hangs the coat that he’d slung over his forearm on the coat rack. “I’m still astonished that you went through with it.”

“I just did it because I love you, Jules,” says Kay, watching him. “Is that a new suit jacket?”

Julius runs his fingers over the fabric of the lapel. “Yes. You noticed?”

Kay steps forward and examines the fabric. It’s a darker, richer colour, the fabric warmer and softer. “Was this from Elliot?”

“Oh, yes,” affirms Julius, reaching for the collar of the jacket. Holding it so that Kay can see, Julius points out the words ‘With Love, E.G.’ intricately embroidered with gold thread.

“Such great workmanship.” Kay applauds. “Where did he get this done?”

“He did it himself,” replies Julius, taking off his coat. It joins the other coat on the coat rack, and then Julius takes his briefcase and paces over to the sofa.

“Isn’t he a florist?” Kay raises an eyebrow.

Julius takes a breath. “He’s a man of many trades. He’s picked up a lot of skills when fleeing from Germany before the war.”

Kay takes her place next to Julius on the sofa. “Elliot Green doesn’t sound well, very German.”

“Elliot Green’s the name he uses on all his papers. After all, coming over to the United States with a German name like his would certainly raise a lot of suspicion. I almost thought he could’ve been a spy, at first.”

“Do you even know the name he was born with?” Kay asks, curious.

“Yes, but I’ve only used it once before Elliot told me to stop. He’s rather touchy when it comes to his family history.”

“Hm. Interesting.” Kay leans forward and clasps her hands. “So. Darlene.”

“What about Darlene?”

“I don’t know.” Kay rolls her eyes. “I just feel we need to talk about her.”

“After what happened tonight?” Julius presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “You want me to give you my opinion on you seeing Darlene.”

“We are married, after all,” supposes Kay. “Honestly, I don’t think I could give a damn about your opinion and I think I’d still be seeing Darlene regardless, but I’m just curious.”

“I’m not mad at all. Not in the slightest.” Julius leans back into the sofa. “I mean, given that I’m seeing someone of my own, it’d be awfully unfair of me if I didn’t give you the option to do the same. I can’t blame you for seeking out the romantic affection that I can’t provide you with.”

“Oh, the last few weeks have really been, confusing, to say the least!” Kay exasperates. “I mean, I’m still very romantically attracted to you, and then Darlene comes along and _I just–_ I’m just feeling like my whole world’s being torn apart. It’s like I don’t even know the fundamentals of myself.”

“Give it time.” Julius suggests.

“And I know, I shouldn’t even care about what society says about people like us, but sometimes it’s just a nagging thought, about how society says that people like us deserve to go to hell and it’s just troubling!” Kay throws up her hands.

“Mm.” Julius nods, solemnly. “It’s a tough world, for people like us.”

Kay stops herself short. “When did you figure out you were…queer?” She inquires. “You’ve never told me that before.”

“Well.” Julius takes a deep breath as he shifts on the sofa, clasping his hands. “I think I was fifteen or sixteen back then when I found myself fancying one of my seniors.” He puts a hand up to his mouth, stifling a chuckle. “It was frankly a bit embarrassing, the way I behaved. I’m glad, though, that the other boys were too busy being obsessed with the girls from our sister school to ever notice me and my awkward infatuation towards him.”

“But then my parents found out and cut all ties with me once I was old enough to be drafted.” Julius’ voice carries a tinge of sadness, and he fiddles with the wedding band on his left hand. “And it was then I knew that I shouldn’t reveal this secret to anyone.”

“Until you told me,” says Kay.

“You took it better than I’d expected.”

“I was mad at you for two weeks afterwards. For hiding your relationship with Elliot from me.” Kay recalls. “And I don’t know why you still proposed to me afterwards.”

“But neither of us regret it, isn’t that so?” Julius raises an eyebrow. He moves closer to Kay, and reaches over her lap for her left hand, and grasps it in his. There’s just the slightest clink as his wedding band lightly scrapes against hers. “I still love you, deeply, as my closest friend and confidante.”

Kay smiles, warmly. “I don’t think I could imagine a life without you in it, either. And I’m glad you understand, really.”

“Sometimes, I feel I could just get by, blending into society. I mean, these secret lives of ours, it’s so easy to hide! But the fact that we have to hide our attractions just exemplifies the fact that people like us, if we were to live openly, won’t have a place in society.” Julius sighs. “And I think that’s quite a pity.”

“We can try to change that, can’t we?” Kay brings up, hopeful. “Benny’s doing that with his stories. And we can too.”

“Benny’s fighting as hard as he can to get that representation in there. It’s an uphill struggle.”

“We can always try,” emphasises Kay. “Queer people like us are going to have a place in society in the future. And nobody can ever take those ideas from us, can’t they, Jules?”

“No, they can’t.” Julius says, confident. “Not now, not ever.”

With that, Kay lazily curls up against him and he puts a warm arm around her, almost like a reflex. “We were supposed to be reading Benny’s story this week, right?”

“Oh, yes. And I’m excited for this next installment,” says Julius, taking the stack of paper out of his briefcase.

“Where are we up to now?”

“Commander Benjamin Sisko and his son, Jake, are on a trip to the Gamma Quadrant for a planetary survey. This is the one where we get introduced to these new aliens Benny’s been talking about. The Dominion, or so he tells me.”

“That sounds exhilarating.” Kay remarks.

Julius arranges the stack across his lap, and begins to read the typewritten print on the crisp, white paper. Kay yawns – he smells of lavender, and his soft English accent is soothing, like a lullaby. When she moves her head against his chest she hears something crinkle in his breast pocket. _A sprig of lavender,_ Kay deduces. _Another gift from Elliot, perhaps._


End file.
